KEY LEGISLATION:
Enviros Moving
to Expand Bottle Deposit Law
Environmental groups are making good on their promise to try to expand
the
state’s bottle deposit law by exploring the hiring of staff necessary
to
conduct a petition drive. A five-member steering committee is in the
process
of determining how much it would cost to undertake a statewide petition
drive to put the issue on the ballot. The group wants to expand the
bottle
deposit bill to include all juice, water and sports drink containers.
Various studies conducted over the last several years have indicated
that if
placed on the ballot, the public would overwhelmingly approve passage
of
expanding the law. Consumers reportedly see the law as an easy, effective
way for them to recycle their products.
Retailers saddled with the law, however, know the burdens and safety
issues
it places on their operations and are opposed to expanding the list
of items
they are forced to accept. In addition, while 95 percent of pop and
beer
cans are recycled in Michigan, they account for less than 2 percent
of the
municipal solid-waste stream. Michigan currently ranks last among Great
Lake
States for overall rates of recycling.
Penny Plan Seen
as Alternative to
Bottle Deposit Expansion
Retailers, primarily grocery stores, are investigating a proposal that
would
thwart expansion of the state’s bottle deposit law by charging
a penny for
various retail transactions and using it to fund a statewide, comprehensive
recycling program. Dubbed the “Penny Plan,” legislation recently
introduced
by Rep. Geoff Hansen (R-Hart) is raising some eyebrows in Lansing.
The bill’s proponents claim HB 5163 would raise approximately $42
million
per year to fund recycling efforts. Hansen’s legislation has earned
the
support of retailers such as Meijer, Spartan, Dean Foods, Country Fresh,
Felpausch and the Michigan Grocers Association. Their hope is that such
a
plan would eliminate the desire or need for expansion of the bottle
deposit
law. In addition, such recycling efforts could alleviate the need for
legislation requiring Advanced Recovery Fees for electronic products
sold at
retail to fund their recycling.
House Tax Policy Chair Fulton Sheen (R-Plainwell) has reportedly given
a
flat-out no to this idea; he does not think additional taxation is the
answer, given the state’s economic woes. However, the issue may
not be
completely dead—Speaker Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) apparently believes
it is an
intriguing idea that needs to be investigated.
Senate Approves
Securitization Plan
The Senate finally took up the House’s $1 billion securitization
plan,
passing it back to the House with a few changes. The proposal seeks
to sell
a third of what the state will receive over the next 20 years through
the
national tobacco settlement.
Because the state is selling off the rights to $100 million a year to
Wall
Street investors, the state will get a $1 billion payment up front that
is
to be injected into economic development efforts through new small-business
loans and cutting-edge technology investments. Rep. Bill Huizenga
(R-Zeeland) and Rep. Andy Dillon (D-Redford) brought up the idea as
an
alternative to Gov. Granholm’s $2-billion bonding proposal.
The governor, however, wasted no time issuing a press release congratulating
the legislature on passing her plan to spur new business development
in the
state—a claim to which the Republicans took exception. The bill
now goes to
the House for its expected concurrence, then to the governor, who is
expected to sign it.
KEY BILL INTRODUCTIONS:
No new introductions at this time.
To view the content and current status of retail-related
bills, visit BillTrack,
MRA's legislative tracking database exclusively for members, at
www.retailbilltrack.com
If you are currently receiving Capitol F@cts by fax and
would like to receive
it via e-mail, please contact Kathleen Wilson at 517.372.5656 or
kawilson@retailers.com.
For back issues of online Capitol F@cts, visit MRA's main Capitol F@cts page.
Specific comments or questions regarding this bulletin
should be directed to:
Kathleen Wilson, Administrative Assistant to the Governmental Affairs
Office at
kawilson@retailers.com.
Michigan Retailers Association
603 South Washington Avenue
Lansing, MI 48933
517.372.5656
Toll-Free: 800.366.3699
Fax: 517.372.1303
govt_affairs@retailers.com
www.retailers.com
www.mallofmichigan.com
